Ryan Kisor

Ryan Kisor was born April 12th, 1973 in Sioux City, Iowa. He began playing in a local dance band by the age of ten, began classical lessons at 12, met and was inspired by Clark Terry at 15 (while attending the latter's summer jazz camp) and played with various high school all-star bands. In November of 1990 he won the Thelonius Monk Institute's trumpet competition at the age of just 17, beating out the likes of Nicholas Payton and Marcus Printup. After graduating from high school in 1991, he went to the Manhattan School of Music and later studied with Lew Soloff among others. He has recorded fairly extensively both as a leader and sideman and with small and large groups. Among the highlights; the Mingus Big Band (which still plays every thursday night at "The Fez" under Time Cafe in NYC's east village), the Michel Camilo Big Band (which although only existed for the purpose of recording the album, "One More Once," was arguably one of the best latin big bands recorded in recent memory), the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Horace Silver, and Walter Blanding. Kisor just celebrated his 30th birthday, so the best is likely yet to come.